The Prince and His Court
by AngelT
Summary: A collection of drabbles and one-shots meant to shed some light on the life of Prince Endymion and the Four Heavenly Kings during the Silver Millenium era. Very possible Sen/Shi later.
1. Friends

Sailor Moon had been my oldest and longest fandom but I've never written anything serious about it. A drabble here and there. Crystal really re-ignited my love, even more so with the recent Sen/Shi development. Anyway, the Shitennou (The Four Heavenly Kings) were a fascination of mine for a very long time. For being Endymion's only friends and advisors I felt they did not get spotlight they deserved. Surely, they should in no case steal spotlight from the Scouts but I just felt they had so much potential that just never revealed itself. This might turn into a collection of drabbles with various lengths. If you like my writing and want a little drable - totally discusable. One warning though - not a native English speaker and do not have a beta. So bear with me.

Cheers and I hope you'll enjoy this. :)

**Friends**

_This isn't what we were reborn for!_

Endymion shifted in his seat and looked outside. A beautiful day to be out and about. He had to take a rain check on that, though. As of recent his studies had intensified, signalling not only the end of the childhood but the beginning of the many responsibilities that were the part of 'being the crown-prince to the Earth Kingdom' package. The nice and ever-smiling teacher Sir Dorian had been replaced by much less cheery Lady Vesta, who loved nothing more then lecturing Endymion on princely duties and stock him up on what seemed like endless stream of homework. A small fat robin landed outside the window and knocked on the glass with its little beak. Endymion reached out to tap back when a ruler landed an inch away from his fingers.

"Next time I will not miss, my prince. Please read the first paragraph of chapter four."

Endymion flushed bright red, possibly making the clueless robin outside very jealous. He opened the book and found the part his teacher asked him to read out loud.

"The Earth Kingdom is divided in four states, each having its own governor that reports directly to the Earth King. Such rule was established many centuries ago by the Moon Kingdom, our vigilant guardian, in order to put an end to an ongoing war between the Five Kingdoms, as they were known in the past."

"Can you name the locations where the governors of their respective states officially reside?"

"Um..." Lady Vesta's stare was making him feel very insignificant and stupid right now. Moreover, if he failed to answer this question, his teacher would make sure to give extra homework and Endymion could say goodbye to already slim chances of going outside this weekend.

"Prince Endymion, your ignorance is atrocious. These are the things you should know in your sleep! To not know the location of your own subjects is just... is just... Ah!" Lady Vesta dramatically fanned herself with bunch of papers she grabbed off the table in one swift movement.

"Pardon, my lady, but Sir Dorian never... "

"Well Sir Dorian is not here, anymore, is he? Gather your belongings, we are done for today. I will make sure your father hears about your _progress_. Read the whole chapter four and memorize anything connected to the four states, we will talk about them next time."

As Endymion packed his books and pencils into a small bag, he felt angry tears coming up. This was not fair, not fair at all. He just turned ten and nobody ever told him his life would take such a radical turn. Apparently you were supposed to simply adjust, because everybody does. Endymion was old enough to understand he had to live up to certain expectations, he just did not agree with the way the adults went about this. But crying would be very 'un-princely' of him and so the boy just bit his lip, huffing angrily. As he walked through the magnificent and mostly empty marble hallways, he noticed servants running up and down. This usually never happened on weekdays and if it did then someone important was coming. Not as important as the king, of course, but significant enough. Endymion passed by one of the balconies and stalled for a moment. Put his bag down and looked around. Then pulled the handle and exited outside. Just as he thought, it was a beautiful day - the mild breeze was playing with the leaves on the trees and the birds were chirping with contagious enthousiasm. From where he was standing, Endymion could see most of the courtyard and what he saw confirmed his suspicion - several carriages were standing there, their insignias showing they were from the four states. Endymion did not know the insignias by heart yet but he knew how his own looked like and those were not the king's.

"Prince Endymion, there you are!"

Allerion, his personal servant when it came to dressing and cleaning, opened the door panting heavily.

"Prince, your father instructed me to prepare you for the reception of our guests."

"I have to be there? Do you know who they are? The carriages in the yard were... " Endymion was bombarding Allerion with questions, while being all but dragged along to his chambers.

"It's your new court, my prince."

His court. These two words echoed like sweet music in his ears - Endymion never truly confessed to anyone but he was lonely. The prince was not allowed to leave the palace without the supervision of an adult and when he did the other kids shunned him for being the royalty. The palace itself was full of adults and his only true friend had been his mother. After her death he was left all alone. His father, the king, was always busy with wordly affairs and rarely had time for his son.

After what felt like a moment and an eternity at the same time, Endymion found himself sitting on the small throne besides his father. He was boiling with excitement but had to exercise the tremendous amount of self - control. Later on someone would make sure to reflect on his behaviour and no stone would be left unturned. The giant doors had opened, letting through four figures. Endymion felt a drop of sweat slowly rolling between his shoulderblades and leaned backwards a bit. Four lanky figures stopped at the foot at the throne and dropped on one knee.

"My liege, I am Jadeite, the heir to the Seat of the South."

"My liege, I am Nephrite, the heir to the Seat of the West."

"My liege, I am Zoisite, the heir to the Seat of the East."

"My liege, I am Kunzite, the heir to the Seat of the North."

Endymion wondered for a second, if all that historical turmoil Lady Vesta subjected him to was to prepare the prince for this event. She could have been a bit more clear about it though, instead of making him feel like a waste of space. The king had gestured the boys to stand up and the prince could see them better now. All four of them were roughly the same height and seemed to be not much older then Endymion himself. But something in their behaviour made them look even older. They were all wearing white uniforms with just a touch of colour on the collar symbolizing their states. The one who called himself Jadeite, the boy to the far right, had golden hair and light - blue eyes. He looked overly-serious and concentrated. Next to him, somewhat taller, stood Nephrite - dark brown hair cascaded in waves over his shoulders and hazel-brown eyes were glimmering with obvious pride. Something told Endymion this one was very full of himself and was all but bursting from the fact he was in the presense of the king. Zoisite was a small willowy boy with long hair tied loosely behind his back that was shade darker then Jadeite's. His eyes were green and in them Endymion saw caution and doubt. The last of the boys, Kunzite, was the tallest of them all. He was a perfect representation of the North state he stemmed from - long ashen-blond hair, steel-grey eyes and an unreadable face expression. He radiated nothing but calmness. All of them were very different and yet they completed each other and this what being a court was all about. A prince did not need mindless servants, he needed friends, advisors and teachers. Who would come to aid him when they were needed most. All of this ran through and left Endymion's head in a matter of moments. There was one word that was left hanging behind and it was beautiful.

Friends.

"Your fathers had no doubt explained what responsibility is placed upon your shoulders. From this moment on you are the court of the young prince Endymion, the future king of the Earth Kingdom. Grow alongside him, advice and teach him but always be aware that when and if the time comes, you are ready to protect him with your life." The king looked at Endymion, smiled softly and nodded. Suddenly his legs felt like jelly and it took prince a second to compose himself. He stood up and positioned himself directly in front of his father. While nobody told him this would happen, Endymion was taught the right way to propose and accept pledges, though his knowledge up to this point was purely theoretical. He unsheathed his ceremonial sword that looked more like needle and lowered it slightly, pointing in the direction of the four boys.

"Jadeite of the South, Nephrite of the West, Zoisite of the East and Kunzite of the North. Do you pledge yourself to the life of servitude under my command? Do you swear to aid, advice and support me whenever you are needed?"

"We swear." was the answer.

"Then from this moment on you are my court. From this moment on we are one. From this moment on nothing but death can part us."

"Nothing but death can part us." the four echoed back and, in turn, unsheathed their swords - thin softly glimmering needles encrusted with gemstones that were their namesakes. And as the five swords crossed together, signifying the newly formed bonds of this brotherly union, Endymion suddenly felt a cold shiver running down his spine.


	2. The Royal Time - Out

This is just a silly drabble. In my imagination Nephrite has the most restless mind of them all. Don't we all have that 'need to know' feeling sometimes?

**The Royal Time-Out**

"I hope you are very happy with yourself." remarked Jadeite, his voice trembling with palpable anger. He would have turned around to face the person in question directly but no movement was allowed during the time-out.

"In a way I am." answered Nephrite, standing in the opposite corner of the room, balancing several books on top of his head - a measure their teacher, Lady Vesta, liked to implement to prevent her students from turning around during their punishment.

"Why would you do this three times in one week though?" Zoisite's voice came yet from another corner. It had this whiny tone to it that indicated he really was not happy being here.

"I posed a reasonable question about..."

"Three times in one week. _Three times_!"

"... about the Moon Kingdom." finished Nephrite, furrowing his brow in annoyance. "Do you think any of this is right? How come we learn nothing about them while it is widely known they constantly watch and study us?"

"Moon Kingdom preffers its sovereignity and we should respect it." Kunzite's calm voice sounded from the fourth and final corner of the room. "They are not our enemies."

"Of course they aren't but 'know your allies' rule is as important."

The room felt silent for a while. Rain was softly pattering against the big glass windows and the rumble of the thunder could have been heard in the distance. Autumn was settling in and it had been a couple of months since the four boys from the different states came together to serve under their future king. While prince Endymion was completely oblivious about the whole court affair up to the moment of the actual reception, the boys were being groomed for this moment for a very long time. Later Kunzite confessed to the prince that he had been drilled on the etiquette and sciences since he was five. The other three stated the same and when Endymion admitted that his studies started when he was about eight years old, he could see slight jealousy in their eyes. It made the prince realise that, perhaps, thinking his life was hard had been a bit far-fetched. Of course, compared to the freedom of the regular kids, he felt like a bird in a golden cage but these four made him re-evaluate his problems.

"I agree with Nephrite." Endymion said quietly. His royal status brough him a place in the middle of the room and a privilege of sitting but just like everyone else he was not allowed to move, three thick tomes sitting on top of his head. Lady Vesta was not in a room but she did leave a timer behind and before walking out of the door mentioned that if anyone moves - she will know. Normally such claims were to be taken with a grain of salt but after last time nobody wanted to test her statement. Endymion tried to look at the timer without turning his head but was unsuccessful. Just as he wanted to ask if anyone knows how long they have left, a shrill ring of the timer rolled through the room. A moment later it was followed by a sound of books being dropped on the floor. Endymion crawled off the chair, feeling numbness in his legs getting momentarily worse and then, slowly, better and looked at the books Lady Vesta chose to put on his head.

"They are all about the War of Five Kingdoms..."

"Mine too."the words echoed repeatedly through the room.

"The shrew has a sense of humour."grumbled Nephrite, browsing through the books.

"You do know what it means, right?" Jadeite's voice was full both of book-worm excitement but also venom. He enjoyed seeing Nephrite's impatience and hot-headness biting him back. "Since you were so interested in Moon Kingdom history we have to study _all_ of these books now."

"Yes, you go do that." Nephrite twirled the book in his hands and then dropped it on the floor with utter disinterest. "There was a secluded and highly secret diplomatic meeting between the Queen of the Moon and the Five Kings. Then there was a flash of magical light and everyone was happy again. That's what these books will say, only in a more long and boring way."

He turned around and grabbed one of the books Zoisite was clutching, making the blond boy wince and step away.

"This," Nephrite shook the book in the air, tapping it vigorously. "This is old information. This happened hundreds of years ago. Aren't... Aren't you interested at all?"

Kunzite stepped forward and, after some struggle, managed to get the book out of Nephrite's clenched fingers passing it back to Zoisite, who dusted it off and put it his bag.

"We are. But as you know, the Moon Kingdom makes their presence known when they are needed. The fact we did not hear about them for so long can be perceived as good news."

A sudden blast of thunder sounded right over the palace, making the windows tremble slightly. All of the boys fell quiet, staring outside where the wind picked up, bending the trees in the courtyard and it was getting darker by the minute.

"Maybe... Maybe we will never see them. Maybe it means we're doing allright."


	3. On How Impatience Hurts

**On How Impatience Hurts**

The day was shaping up to be a nice one - sunny and not a cloud in sight. As soon as the lessons were over the five boys went outside and headed in the direction of the park. It started as a neatly trimmed labyrinth of passageways for people to relax in on a lazy afternoon. On the other side was a more wild part - tall trees surrounding a pond and enough places to hide yourself away from prying eyes. On one of their many trips the boys had discovered one such good hiding spot - a meadow with soft grass that was perfect for training. According the rules every good knight - in - training, not to mention the king - to - be, had to perfect the art of fencing. Kunzite, by far, was the best amongst all of them, followed closely by the prince. The rest had their on and off days, making their teacher, Ser Mateos, shake his head in constant disapproval. Nephrite, while having the potential of becoming a very good fencer, had not a single drop of patience when it came to watching the opponent for openings and weak points. He would unleash a flurry of hits, quickly exhausting himself and giving the opponent more then enough time to strike. Zoisite was a polar opposite - his observation of the opponent was spotless but he had hard time deciding when to strike. The duels with him lasted for what seemed like eternity and bore no fruit, exhausting not only the participants but also the spectators. As to Jadeite, he more often then not refused to fence whatsoever, his explanation involved something about 'third scapegoat party' and 'not all wars are fought with weapons'. After many heated discussions everyone came to conclusion that he hated getting his hands dirty and would rather orchestrate events from afar.

"So, any volunteers?" chimed Nephrite cheerfully as he tossed his bag under the tree. The jacket landed slightly to the left.

"We are not fencing today, right?" asked Endymion, rolling up his cloak with great care and putting it gently on the tree stub nearby.

"Sword and shield are not everything, my friend. Sometimes you have to get up close and personal."

Endymion could not agree more. In his opinion fencing, while useful, was not the only thing to master. The majority of the Earth Kingdom was magic insensitive but sorcerers and sorceresses were not unheard of. During the war of the Five Kingdoms the King of The North, Kunzite's ancestor, had even gathered a small group of magic weilders. That gave him an enormous advantage and would end up in a lot of casualties if not for Moon Kingdom interferring. The celestials got fed up with the bloodshed and took matters into their own hands, resulting in new era under the rule of one king, backed up by his four advisors. Sometimes sword can do nothing.

"Man up, kids. Who will challenge me?" Nephrite grinned widely and looked at each of his friends, face glowing with childish excitement. Endymion once caught Ser Mateos complaning to one of his aqquantances about his students. He mentioned 'hormones', whatever that had to do with anything. Before the prince even opened his mouth to accept the challenge, another volunteer cut him across.

"I will."

Nephrite's face lost at least half of its exuberance and his mouth twitched when he saw Zoisite standing up, innocent smile on his face. While Zoisite had trouble with fencing, his fistfighting skills were quite remarkable. For what it was worth, Endymion loved watching him spar - Zoisite, a doe-eyed baby-faced sweetling with long golden locks, fought all-out dirty. He did not shy away from leading the oponent to believe he was not a threat and when it was least expected landing a whirlwind of attacks directly upon various pain centers. Even if you were aware of him being a sneak, Zoisite would still manage to unpleasently surprise you. Nephrite's style was easy and predictable - he relied on physical strengh and minimal combat avoidance. In most cases this was his undoing - Zoisite exploited Nephrite's weak defence while Kunzite, who blended both fighting styles into a perfect combination, would hammer the big-mouthed lordling from the West into the ground. Obviously Nephrite was hoping for Endymion of Jadeite but the latter acted like a famed long eared animal and the prince would rather spar with Kunzite, whose technique was very well balanced.

Zoisite was done taking off his jacket and, still smiling sweetly, beckoned his oponent to have a go at it. Nephrite made a snorting sound, clenched his fist and charged at Zoisite. However at the last moment he changed direction, trying to thrown his oponent off guard. Zoisite spun on his heels and dived to the side, throwing one hand to the side. His move was timed perfectly - Nephrite missed and as he was trying to slow down it gave Zoisite perfect opportinity to grab a handful of his friend's hair with one hand and, as he turned around, hit Nephrite with palm edge in the lower section of the spine. It was right amount of applied force to make the dark-haired young man fall on his knees, wheezing in pain.

"And you're out. When will you understand your approach is wrong?" Zoisite walked back to the shade of the giant oak, pretending to be very interested with his nails. Endymion helped Nephrite up and led him away as well. As the loser settled down on the ground Kunzite, who was nearby, threw the leaf he was toying with away and bowed forward.

"Zoisite speaks the truth. Brute force solves nothing. Impatience solves nothing. Instead of charging head on you should have either taunted him to make a move or develop a strategy. Thinking ahead hurts no-one. Now not thinking," he paused meaningfully, watching Nephrite rubbing his back. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

Nephrite did not answer immediately. At first he made sure Zoisite would shift uncomfortably under his burning stare, then he fell back on the ground and looked upwards, where the branches of the oaks created a living dome above their heads, releasing a sigh.

"I'm up for a round two. Just... Go easier on me if I am to do the whole thinking thing."

Kunzite nodded, stood up and followed Nephrite, cracking his fists.

By the time all five returned to the palace it was getting dark.


End file.
